Twilight in the Mountains
by Rowan Prime
Summary: When Ornn heads out one night to collect wood for his forge, he finds an unconscious girl in the snow, her life hanging on by a thread, ready to die if no one helped her; and he was the only one who could. He brings her in to nurse her back to health, all out of sorrow, and a need for answers. But what Ornn will find out, is that his fate was changed the moment he picked her up.
1. Spark in the Fire

Ornn could hear the night time sky outside his home, roaring down snow onto the ground that was no doubt higher than his knees now. Something about this sound brought him comfort, as he turned back to the red hot sword he was crafting in front of him. Perhaps it was the knowledge that he was in here, and it was not.

"Hmph," Ornn grumbled to himself, his breath visible in front of him now as he exhaled. "Perhaps I should replenish the fire." Ornn finished, setting the unfinished sword down onto his workbench. _Clang._

He ventured around several corners teeming with rock and wood framing over to where he keeps his fires burning. Upsetting, seems he was out of fire wood, as he looked to the spot where there were usually wood logs, was now only accompanied by twigs and specks of ash. Confusing as well, as he did not remember running out of wood to burn for his forge.

"Suppose I'll head out then." Ornn said, taking up a lumberer's ax off the wall before making his way to the main door of his home. The sounds of the blizzard could be heard much more clearly now as he closed the distance, and he knew that the sounds would only get louder the moment he opened that door. Even so, the cold never seemed to bother him before, however it did bother the items he crafted, which was what worried him most.

Unhinging carefully crafted locks and bolts, he opened the door and was immediately blasted by a gust of cold wind. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a portion of light within his home go dark. "Guess the wind knocked out a torch." Ornn could barely hear himself as he mumbled, stepping out into the snow that was indeed higher than his knees, and closing his door, leaving him to the night time light from the moon just barely visible above.

He untied the net he hung aside his door, firmly tied down so it wouldn't blow away in weather like this. "Looks like I got more work for you netsie." Ornn made sure to speak that last word quietly. Even though he knew he was isolated and by himself up in these mountains, he still didn't like the idea of someone else knowing that he gave some of his tools nicknames.

Without another thought to himself, he began hiking through the snow, heading towards the trees in the far distance, that he could barely make out in this heavy snowstorm. Occasionally, he'd stop and breathe a catch of fire from himself in a puff, to create a temporary light source he'd use to figure out what was around him. It wasn't far now, he realized. The trees he could cut down were much closer than he'd thought before. The mountains behind the trees towered over them, and the snow around him failed to show any sign of letting up any time soon.

He stopped once more, let out another puff of fire to survey around him, and cocked an eyebrow at what he spotted. Among the soft and flat top of the snow around him, aside from where he's come from already, there was in indent in the snow in front of him. He came closer, and the shape started to resemble more of a person, before he halted himself right in front of it.

Inside this hole in the snow, was a little girl, with long yet tattered bright blonde hair. The clothes she wore were nothing suited for the Frejlordian cold, as the bottom half of her legs were covered by no more than the skin itself, along with her stomach and arms. She was unconscious, and the breath coming out of her was shivering and quick. The cold was killing her. The situation this girl was in was indeed unfortunate, and she would surely die if he chose to do nothing, especially since no one else was out here to do anything for her.

He began to walk past her, this moment reminding Ornn of what happened between him and Volibear long ago. So much destruction and death, relinquishing any hope Ornn had for relationship with others if ever... but then he stopped; and wondered to himself. He looked back at where she lay and thought about something.

No one else was out here, so no one else could help her if he didn't. But no one else was out here, so how did she end up in this situation in the first place?

After a couple more seconds of thought, Ornn let out a loud disgruntled sigh before he lifted the girl out of the snow with one hand and cradled her next to his warm body, the girl's body immediately pressing against his fur out of instinct, before he glanced back at the trees he had originally come here for, and turned to head back towards home.

* * *

It's been a couple days since Ornn first took in the mysterious girl he found in the snow. And over that time, he's become determined to nurse this girl back to a healthy state; that way he'd be able to converse with her and figure out answers as to why she's here.

Coming into the room he layed her down at, he still found her eyes closed and asleep, underneath a thick, wool sheet he'd rested over her the night he brought her in. Her breathing was now normal, and her body felt warm, yet something about this girl didn't seem right to Ornn. "She's been unconscious much longer than any mortal I've seen." Ornn said, heating a portion of a cloth with his breath before laying it across her blanket.

"That should do for now." He left the girl's side, noticing the lack of sound coming from outside. Opening the door in a similar way as before, it revealed a clear, day-time sky, the snow glistening and shining off of the sun's powerful gaze. Looking ahead in the distance, he noticed the trees. The trees! Of course, ever since he had taken that girl in, he had completely forgotten about collecting the wood.

Heading back into the room, he glanced towards the girl, her condition looking stable. "She should be fine if I leave for now." So he collected his ax, and his net he'd use to carry the wood, and walked outside into the snow now just beneath his knees. He was sure she'd be fine if he left for now to collect his wood.

* * *

 _Sniff._ Zoe could smell something. _Sniff sniff._ It smelled warm, and natural. It smelled like... pine. Suddenly, she felt a great pain fall over her head as she shot up from the cloth covered surface she lay upon. The pain lasted for a couple seconds, and it was a couple seconds Zoe never wanted to experience again. "So~o not fun." She grunted, the pain leaving her.

Her hands fell to the blankets surrounding her, and she began to feel them more directly. They felt soft... and smooth. Then she looked at the architecture around her. Wooden beams flowed along the ceiling all above her, and torches, tools, and various items were hung along the rock walls which stretched across many corners. Her mouth opened wide in excitement and curiosity, and suddenly jumped out of sheets which contained her, now jumping and exploring through this maze.

"Wo~oah! So cool!" Zoe exclaimed, her echoes traveling through this endless place, reflecting her excitement in force. She took a small spear off the wall and began marching across a narrow hallway like a soldier, the spear hung over her shoulder. "Mrrrr, I'm Pantheon," she mocked, "I ruin all the fun in everyone's lives, _especially_ space doggy's." Setting the spear back on the wall, she set her mind to a new part of the place she was in.

Walking over to a small rock table topped with a metal surface, she saw a small unfinished sword resting upon its surface. Running her finger along its surface, she looked at the writing etched into the blade. "This is Frejlordian lettering. Cool." She stood for a moment, wondering to herself; before she brought a smile across her face and began jumping around yet again, not once bothering to figure out what the blade said.

* * *

"Gonna have to find more trees soon." Ornn said to himself, looking at just how many trees were in this area. There weren't many left for him to use, and the ground right now wasn't usable to plant more for the future.

Nevertheless, Ornn hoisted the tied net full of wood logs over his shoulder and began trekking his way back. He passed the hole he had found that girl, it's shape now looking more rounded and melted from the natural environment. He wondered if that girl would ever wake up, if he'd just have an unconscious girl in his home for the rest of his life, and if he'd let that happen.

Ornn stopped for a moment and glanced up towards the clear sky. "What has this world come to?" A shake of his head. Then more footsteps.

Stopping in front of his door, Ornn stopped himself before opening it. Something was off inside, he could feel it. He could hear noises. Perhaps the girl was finally awake.

He began to open his door. _Perfect, now I can look for ans-_

He wasn't able to finish that thought before the door opened all the way, and he saw what was happening inside. The girl, the unconscious girl, was up and about. Jumping all across the inside from beam to beam, dressed in several pieces of armor which covered her entire body, and weapons she held in both hands, different items of his creation scattered across the floor too.

 _What has this world come to indeed..._


	2. Twilight Lost

**AN: Hello all! Welcome the second chapter of Twilight in the Mountains! I just want to state real quick that I'd really appreciate it if you would leave a review for me if you choose to read this, as I'm sure all other authors think. If you leave a review for me, it helps me understand what I'm doing right, and what I did wrong; that way I can better myself and provide a more cohesive story for you to enjoy. Thanks! And enjoy!**

* * *

"Stop that! Get down from there!" Ornn was desperately trying to persuade the sporadic girl to stop what she was doing and listen... and he'd been trying to do this for minutes now. And even now, the girl seemed to choose to ignore him and keep running around like a mother's toddler on a holiday.

Ornn attempted to multitask while he talked to her, trying to put some of the tools she left lying on the floor back on the wall where he'd deemed its home. But for every object Ornn picked up, that girl seemed to relocate three more.

"How undisciplined..." Ornn grumbled to himself out of frustration and disappointment. How deep did this girl's curiosity and carelessness run? It felt like she had been doing this for a year by now, even though it had only been minutes, and he still wasn't able to capture the attention of her. He was running out of ideas to do so, and she continued to make a mess of his home. He didn't want to get physical, as his strength would surely bring more harm to his home than she could ever cause, and it wasn't something he always liked to resort to.

But then Ornn stopped and thought of something. _Perhaps that could work._

He looked up towards her, where she was now hanging onto a beam, raising a small iron sword into the air like she had triumphed in a battle. Though she was causing a mess, deep down, he was sure he enjoyed the sight of a little girl enjoying herself; but on the surface, he knew that he had to stop her ruckus.

Stepping back and turning away from her, he exited the room to the neighboring one, where his smithy table rested, the sword he had been working on the night he'd found her. "Guess she only plays with finished things." He stopped in front of the smithy table, taking up his hammer once again and examining over the sword. The blade looked well carved, but it had a long way to go. He ran his hand along the blade's edge. It was dull, and needed sharpening. He grasped the handle attached to the blade. It was rough, and out of place, still needing finishing touches. He looked over the lettering he had carved into the sword himself. As it was now, it was difficult to read; still needed to be sanded.

"This shall represent the fire. The one who brought this blade life." That was what he had carved, wanting to have his own masterwork sword representing himself. Of course, in the condition it was in now, he noticed some of these qualities described him too. But it didn't matter to him.

Lifting up the hammer, he breathed a wave of fire over the edge of the blade, turning it red hot. _Clang._ He brought the hammer down on the edge, to try and compress it together to make it sharper and leaner, and then listened. The girl has stopped for but a second before he heard her chaos begin again in the other room. _Clang._ He did it again. And again, soon forgetting about her entirely as he went back to working on his sword. His thoughts now only focusing on this one thing which he loved the most.

He remembered the other swords he had made before. He considered them good and well done, but those had never been made with this purpose. Ornn now desired a sword for himself. One only he could use for his own purposes. He wanted this sword to be that sword.

"Watcha' doin'?" Ornn stopped working as he heard that soft, feminine voice above him. He looked up to see the girl sitting atop one of the torch holders attached to a beam behind him, her wrists supporting her chin as she leaned down, looking at the sword.

"Hmph, working." _Clang._

"Are you going to war?" Ornn heard soft feet hit the floor behind him, before he saw her saunter into his view to his left.

"Something like that." _Clang._

"You're not Pantheon are you, because he likes to fight wars himself too, but he's mean."

Ornn had no memory of someone named Pantheon, nor did he really have the want to find out, but what he was looking for was a way to turn this situation around for his objectives. Somehow he wanted to get her to answer his questions without her realizing. He thought quickly, this one named Pantheon, it sounded like she knew that person well. They must have lived in the same place.

"I don't think so no. Where is this man from?"

He saw her do a cartwheel across to his right side, before she answered. "You don't know where he's from? He's from Mount Targon of course! My home. But he's a bad person, don't ever talk to him either, because-"

He had already tuned her out after he heard the answer he wanted. She's from Mount Targon? How could she have ended up this far away? She was nearly half a world away from where she lived.

He felt a hand pat on his right arm. "Hello? Are you listening Mr. Fire Goat? I was telling you about space doggy and how adorable he is."

This girl had weird nicknames for things. _Clang._ "Is this space doggy also from Targon?"

"Yes. No. I mean yes. I mean no? Is he? I don't know, I see him all over the world, but I could pet him until I die he's so cute!" So she travels the world.

"Oh you do," _clang,_ "why do you travel the world?"

"Isn't that obvious? Because I'm a messenger! I deliver _secret_ messages to people."

"So where is your horse then?" _Clang._

"Oh I don't need one. I can use cool portals!" _She can use... what?_

"You can?" Ornn set down his hammer, finally making eye contact with her. "Then why don't you show me."

"O~oh, is this like show and tell!?" She jumped up and down in excitement. Of course, Ornn had no idea what show and tell was.

She took off towards one of the walls behind Ornn, before she turned back to face him.

"OK, watch this!" And she started to jump towards the wall. And Ornn heard a smack as her face hit the rock and she slid to the floor. _What... just happened?_ Ornn moved towards the girl cautiously.

"W-what?" She got up and looked at her hands, before she ran towards the wall again, but hit the rock again, falling onto her bottom.

"Is this supposed to happen?" Ornn asked, now completely curious about what was going wrong, and what was supposed to happen.

He saw Zoe begin rapidly running her hands along the wall, as if looking for a secret button to open a secret door, her face no longer reflected that of a little kid's joy, but now of someone who had lost something dear to them. Ornn saw a tear streak down her face.

"I... I can't do it anymore." Whimpers coated her voice.

Something washed over Ornn then. A strange feeling, it made him feel like cradling her like he had the night he first found her. He quickly shut that away. Instead, he moved beside her, and rested his hand on the wall the girl has been trying to break with her face.

"Solid rock. Rock carved out by myself. Whatever you were trying do little girl, you weren't getting through this." He knocked on the rock several times.

She stopped crying then, looking towards his face. "So I can't do it because... you're preventing it?"

Ornn cocked an eyebrow. "What exactly were you trying to do?"

"I make portals. Duh~h." So that's how the girl is able to travel around. Well if that's so, then why is she unable to leave that way? He knows this rock is just same old rock, the kind you'd find at any other mountain.

"Hmm... then what message brings you here?"

"I-..." The girl looked down at her hands, folded together, the thumbs spinning against each other. "I don't remember."

"You don't remember the message?"

"No, I mean I don't remember how I got here... or why." Ornn noticed that saddened expression start to return to her face. As much as he didn't like the idea of a child's tears mucking up the woodwork floors, he wasn't able to think of a way to sugar coat it. "My powers are gone..." The girl began to sniffle.

"You said you don't remember how you got here or why. Do you remember how you lost these powers?"

Another sniffle before she shook her head. "No. I don't remember that either..." A couple seconds passed, before the girl began tearing up again.

 _Ugh, the choices I make for others._ "Stop crying will you," Ornn began, "I'm sure the answers you seek lie in your homeland."

"But I'm in Frejlord, and without my powers, there's no way for me to make it back home." She sat down, criss-crossing her legs.

Ornn grasped one of her arms, and picked her back up to her feet. "I will seek out my sister, Anivia. She should have the ways to allow you to travel back home safely."

 _Sniffle._ "Really?"

Ornn nodded, a rough grunt coming from him as he did so.

The girl sprang to her feet then, launching herself into a hug against him, nestling herself firm against his fur. "Thank you so much! I knew Mr. Fire Goat was a nice guy! My name's Zoe! What's your name?"

Ornn sighed. _Just say it so she'll stop touching me._

"Name's Ornn... no further pleasantries needed."


	3. Black Ice - Part 1

Pantheon felt like he'd been standing at this peak for eternities now. For the Aspect of War, he wondered constantly how he had gotten roped into this situation. Next to him, the spirit of the Aspect of Twilight hovered, its blue, violet, and gold mists flowing between each other brilliantly.

"Twilight," Pantheon started, "I understand you're waiting for the next one to represent you in physical form, but why is it I-"

"The snow here looks pretty, does it not?" The echoing voice of Twilight cut off Pantheon before he could finish his complaint. Pantheon glanced around for a second, noticing the snow around him glittering from the sunlight. "It looks like stars doesn't it?"

"Here we go again..." Pantheon flicked some of the snow off his shield. "What _great philosophy_ do you have this time?"

"Oh no my friend. Not a philosophy," Twilight's spirit flowed down to the snow, brushing against its surface gently, "just fact." His spirit flew in front of him. "What do you think of when you see the stars in the sky?"

Pantheon thought for a moment, primarily trying to think of a way to disarm the question. "Us aspects, and the celestials."

"Exactly." Twilight said. "And when you think about it, it's our home yes?"

"Sure." Pantheon was starting to grow impatient with Twilight, wanting to just here his point more than anything.

"And when we see this land glitter like the skies above do, what do you think that means?"

Pantheon shook his head. "Tck, this is not our home Twili-"

"But it _is_ theirs." Pantheon stood, waiting for Twilight to continue. "Do you not see what I am saying?"

"Not really. No."

"These beings here are our equals Pantheon."

Pantheon laughed, a laugh he hadn't had in years. It felt rather good in his mind.

"...They should be able to live among us as we do them."

Pantheon stopped laughing, looking towards Twilight.

"Is that why you rid yourself of your last vessel?"

"That was not my decision, and you know it!" The mists from his spirits began spiraling around themselves violently. "And do not call her a vessel."

"I fail to see why that should matter now, since she is gone." Pantheon began picking at his spear, the snow embedding itself within the crevices of the intricate markings, giving it a white colored trim.

"Do not believe that yet my dear friend Pantheon, I will return her to me soon enough, even if it would be against the Order's will."

Twilight couldn't see it, but an eyebrow within Pantheon's helmet cocked itself then. _Is he saying that child is still alive? That the Order didn't separate the two by traditional means?_ A thought like this infuriated Pantheon... He needed to take his leave from Twilight, and figure out what to do. "I'll be going." Pantheon said.

"Wisdom be with you."

With a single leap, Pantheon took off across the skies, far away, to a totally different segment of Targon. The air that flew by him felt exhilarating, and he was able to see almost the entire expanse of Targon in but a few seconds.

Coming upon another peak, Pantheon landed feet first, a thunderous clap stretching outward, likely loud enough to let anyone at the summit hear.

Standing upon this new peak, Pantheon needed a course of action. That girl was still alive, and the Order failed to follow tradition. In order to dispose of her, he'd have to find her first... So he let out a great shout.

"Dragon!"

* * *

The brisk snow felt soft beneath Ornn's feet. Looking around, he could see the trail in the snow he had left; he was quite a ways away from home now, not that it made him nervous. The clouds above blocked any view they once had of the sun, and ones in the distance threatened to drop more snow on top of them.

"Can I ride on your horns Mr. Fire Goat?"

"I told you my name's O-" He looked down as she tugged on his wrist, her body shivering ever so slightly. _Seems the clothes I gave her weren't enough._ She was wearing fur clothing top to bottom, brandished with a coat sporting 2 layers of wool, yet Zoe was still chilled to the bone. This surprised Ornn more than it brought remorse for her.

Even so, her expression didn't say anything like that, with a tight smile and eyes gazing towards him. _Stop lying to yourself girl._

With one motion, he scooped her up and plopped her on top of his head, as uncomfortable as it felt.

"Whe~e!" She took way too much enjoyment in this as she grasped both his horns with her hands, and sitting forward. _For the love of Frejlord, let's be there soon._ Ornn never did like the idea of physical contact, and even then, didn't know why he made an exception for her.

They journeyed on for a while longer in silence before Zoe spoke up again, her voice aimed downward towards Ornn.

"So who's this Anivia girl?"

"I told you," Ornn started, wiping snow and pine tangled within his beard off him, "she's my sister."

"I kno~ow that," Zoe responded, all the while turning to lay down on her back, her hair falling over Ornn's eyes who quickly wiped it away with a huff, "but what's she like?"

"Cold." Well... he wasn't wrong.

"That's it? You're not very good at this." Ornn was OK with this. "Come on," she kept going, flipping over to her stomach, "what kind of girl is she? Is she my age? Oh! Do you think we could be friends!?"

Ornn began to feel sorry for whoever Zoe's parents were. "She helps look over these lands." _And nowhere close to your age._ Ornn began to feel the wind pick up around him, changing to a completely different than before, and Zoe shielded her face as it did so.

"Whoa, what was that?" Zoe asked, a hint of excitement in her voice, like she was ready for something to happen. Just what does this girl like to do for fun exactly?

Ornn looked around. "It's Anivia. We're getting closer." Indeed, he could feel her presence grow closer with each step. It's only a matter of time now.

"She won't... eat me will she?" Her voice now didn't sound anything excited.

"Known her for a long time, don't know why she would." The thoughts this girl came up with were obnoxiously out of the blue. Suddenly, Ornn and Zoe started to feel the wind around erupt as it began blowing every which way. _We're here._

The winds continued to spiral as Ornn felt Zoe curl herself up against his head, as the visible air started to congregate towards one area, before becoming a seemingly solid tornado of freezing wind. Ornn waited a few seconds more, unmoved by this display of natural power, before the air dispersed explosively, a bird larger than him emerging from inside. Everyone waited for a second, silence now encompassing the expanse of flat snow.

"Anivia." Ornn nodded gently, careful as not to throw Zoe off the top of his head.

"Ornn." Anivia responded. "Seems you've made a friend. Good for you."

"Please, spare me the petty compl-"

"Who~oa! So cool!" Zoe exclaimed, jumping from Ornn's head and rushing over Anivia, who sat perched on the ground like a regular bird would be on a branch. Anivia cocked an eye towards Ornn, who responded with a grunt and a glance away from the two. "You look so cool! Is your entire body really made out of ice? That's so amazing! Not as amazing as space doggy mind you, but-"

"Calm yourself child." Anivia spoke gently, coating her sound as to not frighten Zoe; she looked back out towards her brother. "What matter brings you here I assume it has to do with her."

"Unfortunately for me, it does." Ornn began walking forward, noticing his height just over half of hers. How embarrassing. "This girl - Zoe," Ornn corrected himself, "she comes from Targon."

"Well she's a long way from home now isn't she?" Anivia glanced down at Zoe, who was now tapping against one of the crystals jutting out of her body, not at all paying attention to this conversation. "So what seems to be the issue?"

Ornn scratched the nape of his beard, as he began explaining the situation to her.


	4. Black Ice - Part 2

"I see." Anivia said. Ornn had just finished explaining everything to her, and it seemed clear now what they had come to her for. She looked down towards the girl named Zoe, who was lying on her back, making a snow angel. Summoning a small spiral of wind Zoe's size, she sent it to her side as it began manipulating the snow, and forming a moving snow golem.

"O~oh! That's amazing!" Zoe took to it quickly, springing back up to her feet and running around with it. _What a playful young child._ _It's a shame the Frejlord isn't her home._

She looked back towards Ornn, who still stood as he always stood, from her first memory of him, to now. Always with that rough, isolated stance, waiting for a response that signaled the end of this conversation. She never did enjoy that factor about her brother, and she was never able to understand it either. She didn't know how he could take so much pleasure in keeping himself isolated and alone, when there was a whole land he could be watching over with her, in community. Ashe was one of those people who helped her see that.

Ever since a dark power, a black ice in fact, could be felt within the land, Anivia had grown anxious to it, and didn't know whether there was any hope to rescue it. But Ashe, a leader of a mighty tribe in the south, a mere mortal, helped show the error in her judgement. It was of this same factor, that Anivia hoped to show her brother Ornn, the error in _his_ judgement, and hopefully bring him out of these mountains, and return to being the one so many had worshiped so long ago... before Volibear arrived.

"Then I shall take this girl to Targon, and help bring her home." Anivia could of sworn Ornn smiled then, even through that jungle of a beard, if even for but an instant.

"Good." He said. "Then I shall take my leave." And he began walking away.

Anivia ruffled her frozen wings. "You are not coming along?" Ornn stopped, turning back to the two.

"There is no need for me to come is there? Besides, I'd much prefer getting home, and continuing my work."

"You mean those tools never to be used?" Anivia's voice started to become more aggravated with each word she spoke. Was Ornn never going to see?

"You know full well they'll be used." Ornn's voice was still low... and hollow.

"And for what? Tell me why you build these tools only to stock them onto a wall for eternity!?" Anivia unfurled her wings, striding towards Ornn. She wasn't going to let him walk away that easily. Not this time. "You spend your days cooped up inside a rock, wasting away while the world and its beauty lives on without you."

"And I'm supposed to find interest in _any_ of that?" She noticed his eyes, starting to become even brighter than before. Whether it was fury, or insight; she didn't care. _Just speak your peace._

"Well it's not forbidden that you do! Don't you remember those who followed you before!? Who looked up to you-"

"I REMEMBER EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!"

Silence.

All the sound that could be heard were the echoes following Ornn's outburst. His voice bouncing between the endless stretches of the mountains surrounding them. In the distance, an avalanche could be heard.

Then the two heard footsteps, they heard Zoe's footsteps, as she walked hand-in-hand with the snow golem towards him. Ornn only stared.

Stopping in front of him, she held up a large snowball almost twice the size of her hand to him. "You know what I do when I have a bad day Mr. Fire Goat?" She asked, waving the snowball in front of him, urging him to take it. He did.

The snow golem handed Zoe another one the exact same size, before she tossed it up into the air, and then slamming into it with her foot as it came back down. The snowball soared through the air, landing far behind where Anivia stood. "I let out some steam. You should try it."

He looked down at the snowball, it's almost perfect, circular shape resting in his hand. He threw it up into the air, and as it came down, slammed into it with his hammer, breaking it into millions of snow flakes. The exertion of force felt breath-taking. Like some form of fun he hadn't had in years. Zoe tossed him another snowball, which he promptly burst into bits as well the same way. He wanted more. Needed more.

He looked out to his side, where the base of a mountain stood. He squared himself, readjusting his grip on his hammer to hold firm. Indeed, he remembered his followers from long ago. He remembered them every day after their deaths. How they worked so hard for him, how they worked so hard to improve themselves. How they showed endless determination that he admired so. There wasn't a moment that passed when he forgot how Volibear took that all away with his selfishness.

He leaped forward then, and with a great and terrible roar, chucked his hammer toward the mountainside. It collided into the rock with a tremendous force, and shattered nearly its entire side, a great pile of rocks and pebbles forming as they tumbled to the ground the three stood upon.

"Who~oa." Zoe said quietly, her silent voice accenting her amazement in his strength no doubt.

Ornn walked over, and retrieved his hammer half buried in rock, before glancing back towards Anivia. "Forgive me," he paused before continuing, "I shouldn't have gone into such a rage."

Anivia took a step towards him, almost cautious as to not cause him more harm. "I should be asking you for forgiveness dear brother. I shouldn't have decided to bring up your past. It was insensitive." Although Anivia still hoped it got Ornn to make a change in his life for once, with the dramatic scene that she just witnessed after all.

"Will you come with us Mr. Fire Goat?" Zoe asked, letting go of the snow golem as Anivia whisked it away into the wind.

Ornn stood for another minute, glancing back and forth between Anivia and Zoe. Breathing... and thinking. _Perhaps I could get some use out of those tools yet._

Anivia and Zoe both saw Ornn nod ever so slightly, and Zoe began jumping up and down in joy. Oh yay! Yay! Ya~ay! Mr. Fire Goat's gonna get to see my home!" She looked up at the bird of ice. "So how are you taking us there exactly?"

"I will fly you there." Anivia responded, turning down to look at her.

Ornn sighed before he strode up next to his sister. "So I suppose we'll need to hop on your back then?" Anivia responded with _caw_ and a nod.

Suddenly, the three started to feel the wind around them swirl, the snow following suit as it all began rising into the air. Soon enough, it looked as if they were all inside the eye of a tornado. Ornn glanced at Anivia.

"It's not me." She said, caution alive and well in her voice.

"It's space doggy!" Zoe said. "Space doggy is here!" Zoe began jumping excitedly again.

Yet for some reason, Ornn felt that this girl wasn't going to be so excited in a few moments.


	5. Black Ice - Part 3

Ashe surveyed her surroundings, sitting atop a branch high up in a tree. The snow she could see for miles brought the landscape to life beautifully in an array of bright white. Behind her, the forest she had traveled through would also serve to lead her back to her village. And in front of her, a large expanse of grassland was cut off past that by the Frejlordian mountain range. _Past those mountains is Winter's Claw._ Ashe wondered if it would make sense that Sejuani was the one responsible for why she was here.

She was patrolling the area because of reports she had been given about her hunters being terrorized by bandits near here. Seemed a small problem, given the situation her tribe, and the land for that matter, was in. War was in motion between the tribes; not only that, but the Ice Witch, Lissandra, was putting her plans of corrupting this land to action as she knelt here. Of course, being the man he was, Ashe knew Tryndamere handled these kinds of situations better than her, since he did come from a tribe that specialized in war after all. Hence why she had him remain back at their main village, to oversee the soldiers and make battle plans; plans that most likely put him on the frontline.

But she had been out here for quite some time now, and she didn't spot anything out of the ordinary that suggested the acts of bandits. _Perhaps they were gone already._ She didn't think the reports she had been given were falsified; her tribe would never do that. But, there wasn't anything telling her that they were any around here now. The only thing she could do now was head back and see if they resurfaced again.

She turned around, now facing the treeline which served as the gateway to the path to her tribe, as she hopped to an adjacent tree in front of her. The branch held firm underneath her feet as she struck the frozen wood, not once giving way to a deadly fall.

Suddenly Ashe heard a sound behind her, drawing her bow in a flash instinctively. Without turning back, she tugged on the icy string, an arrow of pure and magical ice forming as she drew it back. She steadied her breathing, the feeling of survival now about to overtake her.

She shot around on the branch, her bow aimed towards the mountain range, before she lowered it. _What am I seeing?_

In the distance, Ashe could see a large beam of light shooting into the sky from far behind the mountain range. It wasn't far enough that it was in Winter's Claw's territory, but this was something that should not be happening. She watched as brilliant colors of yellow, blue, orange swirled in the beam, flying off far out of the world.

"This is not right," Ashe said to herself, her breath coalescing in front of her, "I must speak with Anivia. Something is not right here." And Ashe shot downward off the tree, to the soft ground covered in layers of snow, as she took off toward her tribe, now in need of answers.

* * *

"I must say, I never would have expected the cosmic dragon to show himself in this land." Anivia's voice was as calm as it was threatening, like a lion read to fight a wolf that was about to destroy its home.

"Space doggy!" Zoe exclaimed, beginning to rush over to the dragon, who was flying high in the air above them. She was brought to a halt as Ornn grabbed onto her small wrist, pulling her back to him.

"I don't think this a good time to be acting playful." Ornn said quietly, shuffling Zoe behind him.

"Please spare me the tasteless statements cryophoenix." Ornn heard the dragon speak. He had never heard of someone like this before, but his voice sounded bored, like a kid who didn't want to do what he was doing, but had nothing else to do anyway. "I only come here for one reason unfortunately." A sudden gust of wind knocked Zoe out from behind Ornn.

"Are you coming to take me home?" Zoe asked, rubbing her back as she sat up from the ground.

"Something like that I'm sure." The sense of malice that came from that was sharp enough to cut glass. Zoe suddenly began to feel not so joyful.

"Space doggy?"

"And just what is that something Sol?" Anivia interjected. She spoke firmly, knowing full well what he came here for, but not willing to allow it.

"Calm your feathers Anivia, I'm simply acting under orders. And those orders is to eliminate her." Ornn heard Zoe _gulp_.

"A little girl like this?" Ornn asked, gesturing to her beside him. He wasn't going to sit back and watch this one go by. "What reason could possibly make you hunt down a _little girl?_ " For some reason, Ornn could feel the fires start to churn within him. He didn't enjoy this situation one bit. _Why am I getting so worked up over this? I could just as easily hand this girl over and go back to my forge._

"You must be Ornn." Sol said, flying downward toward him a bit. "The one who locks himself away and builds. Builds. Builds... Must be nice to not have to deal with others." Oh yeah. Ornn didn't like this guy.

"You won't get what you came for Aurelion." Anivia said, finished with the situation. "Please, leave."

"Oh I'm afraid that can't be the case, I have to do my _job_ after all." He spat that word, as if that word's existence disgusted him now. "I'm starting to run low on time unfortunately. Time to speed things along."

And he leaned back, before he unleashed a large beam from himself, aimed towards Zoe, who began to scream.

"I don't think so!" Ornn exclaimed, as he dashed in front of her, holding his hammer up in front of him.

The beam clashed against his hammer with great force, making Ornn's feet slide backwards on the snow, and he strained his muscles against its intensity. _I will NOT be bested so easily!_ He held his ground as the beam continued to pour onto his hammer. Ornn heard Sol grunt loudly, and then felt the beam become stronger.

Suddenly, the beam began to reflect off his hammer. _Hmm, interesting._ He angled himself, turning the direction of the hammer, trying to aim the beam back at Sol; but it was too slow to turn, and the dragon flew out of the way of the beam easily. Ornn now found himself pinned to the ground, reflecting the beam straight up into the air. _Anivia! Anytime now!_

As if on cue, the beam stopped abruptly. Ornn and Zoe looked up, and saw Sol and Anivia entangled between themselves, in some sort of death spiral as they could be seen falling to the ground.

Snow began to fall from the clouds above as it caused the mountains to fade from view around them, turning this area into a battleground surrounded by a white wall of snow. It looked beautiful to Zoe, almost making her forget of the danger she was in.

Normally, she'd be able to get out of these situations by simply opening a portal and jumping through it to a totally different part of the world. But that didn't seem to be the case now, as she found herself in danger she had no power to overcome. Her safety now rested in the hands of Mr. Fire Goat and Anivia.

She heard a slam then as she looked back towards the sight of battle. Anivia and Sol had just crashed to the ground, a small crater being left in its wake.

Ornn took advantage of the situation then as he charged forward, slamming his fist down onto the ground. A line of red broke through the ground he struck, and traveled over to where Sol lie on the ground, and barely dodged out of the way as an enormous pillar of earth launched itself out of the ground.

"Enough!" Sol shouted, as he began to wave his hands.

The three of them saw a small ball of light start to form in front of him, before it kept growing in size.

"It's a star!" Anivia yelled, scrambling out of the crater and back into the air. By them, the star had become twice the size of her as he launched it towards Ornn.

It looked like the sun was coming to greet him. He felt the fires within him continue to churn, almost like they wished to be released from him. Planting a foot in the ground, he took a deep breath. The star got even closer, its heat melting the snow it traveled over, as well as the ground itself. Opening his mouth, he let everything out. A fire like he'd never seen before that he created. It was so beautiful.

The fire spread across the star, encompassing almost the entire circumference of it. He kept going as it got even closer. He wasn't allowing himself to die here. Not yet.

The fire was now completely engulfing the star, as the sphere started to get smaller, and smaller. Before it vanquished entirely, only a few feet from Ornn. He reeked of sweat and heat.

"Impressive," Aurelion said, "I've never met anyone who could survive against one of my stars." No one replied. Then the cosmic dragon seemed to back off. "Oh dear, looks like I'm out of time."

"What?" Ornn asked, genuinely confused.

"The thing about these Targonians, is that they fail to be vague about the orders they give me." Sol waved a hand towards behind him, as a portion of the blizzard seemed to sweep itself away, revealing a sunset across the horizon. "Seems I get to let you hook and allow myself to get punished." He was speaking to only Zoe then, who raised an eyebrow at him.

Then, he vanished. Just like that. Leaving everyone battered, and in silence, except for the snow of course.


	6. Fellowship - Part 1

"You look so pretty! Can I touch your bow?" Zoe's excitement seemed to extinguish any of the stress and nervousness she, Ornn, and Anivia had faced a while ago, as she looked up into the face a a white-haired woman, a smile looking back at her.

"Why of course you may little one." Ashe responded, taking the bow off her back and handing it to her. She'd have to make sure that girl didn't have it for too long, especially since she didn't trust others with it a lot of the time. _All it takes is for one to trick you, and then it's turned against you as it forms to them instead._ Of course, she had never seen anyone other than herself be able to wield this bow. Not even her king Tryndamere. And, given the situation she was in, she felt more than confident letting her hold it with Anivia and her brother present.

The four stood in a large, open room made completely of ice and carefully cut stone. It was one of the many temples her tribe had constructed for the purpose of remembering Anivia, who aided them in protecting this land.

"So what is going on?" Ashe asked then, all matters of small talk and leisure leaving her as a serious tone overtook her voice.

"Hard to tell," Anivia ruffled some of the snow off her wings, "but we do know this girl is being hunted. A defenseless girl with no power that I can sense within."

"We were about to travel to Targon," Ornn interrupted, "apparently the place she hails from, before we were ambushed by a being known as Aurelion Sol."

"Never heard of him." Ashe's voice was flatter than the floor itself.

"He was the one that caused that beam in the sky you spoke of." Ashe glanced toward Anivia as she heard ice break from behind her. She glanced back and saw Zoe on the ground, the bow next to her; a deep hole dug into the wall beside her; an arrow of ice embedded in it.

* * *

"Sister, are you alright?" Ornn asked, facing the cryophoenix who was picking herself up off the ground. This was but seconds after Aurelion Sol had disappeared, and Ornn wanted to get a good grip on the situation and what all was going on.

"Yes, are you ok too Zoe?" Anivia stood back up, looking to where Zoe was; right next to Ornn. She was answered with a nod, a nod that was full of caution and anxiousness. _Poor thing must be terrified._

"Now that he's gone," Ornn suggested, "we should catch our bearings and figure out what is going on."

"Agreed."

"First things first," Ornn looked down to Zoe, "do you have any idea why Aurelion Sol was after you?" This situation wasn't boding well for Ornn right now, he didn't know why he was taking charge of it either. All he wanted was to go back to his forge, and continue living his life in peace. Ornn was answered with a shake of the head by Zoe, not one sound coming out of her. Ornn had only known her for a couple of days, but he had never witnessed this kind of behavior from her. _This must have really shaken her spirit; we should try to avoid further fights for now._

"Let's try this then," Anivia said, stepping in, "do you know what Aurelion Sol usually does?" She hoped this would help take her mind off this trauma more than get the answers she wanted, especially since she already knew what this being did for Targon. Seemingly an eternal servant to the Targonians, Aurelion obeys any orders given to him as he is forced to follow through with it. Seems this was another one of those orders, and based off the previous scene, he must not have liked Zoe before this either.

To Anivia's expectations, Zoe responded with what she knew. "They give him tasks, and he does them. Like I do... I mean, did."

"And who is they?" Ornn asked. Anivia knew Ornn didn't know much about the Targonian Order, let alone many stuff outside of his forge for that matter, so it didn't surprise her he asked this.

"They call themselves the Order. They hold power over the Aspects, who hold power over Targon... and space doggy."

So if both parties hold power over Aurelion, then who exactly issued the order for him to kill her? It seemed apparent that the Order was responsible for taking her powers away, but why do anything else afterward? Anivia thought over this for a moment before she came to another question. "Was there an Aspect who didn't take much of a liking towards you when you had your powers?"

"You know," Ornn said, adding his two cents, "you did make mention of someone made Pantheon didn't you?" Why was Ornn involving himself in this? He was going to punch himself later. "You made it sound like your relationship was very brittle." Mmm, brittle. He liked that word.

"Well, yeah, he was mean." Zoe sounded like a true child in that response, folding her arms and lowering her head as she said this too.

"So Pantheon is responsible for this? Surely he wouldn't go against those above him just over a grudge."

Ornn was about done with this moment. At this point, he just wanted to head over to Targon and knock some sense into some people. Literally. "You know what I think this calls for sister?"

"Pray tell."

"What say you that we pay Targon a little _visit?"_

"I was just thinking the sa-" Anivia was cut off then as she stopped talking. A moment seemed to pass by as Anivia's eyes closed, and her being seemed to become immersed in a sense of focus.

"Umm..." Ornn began to speak, but didn't finish. _What is she doing?_

Finally Anivia reopened her eyes, looking over to Ornn. "The travel will have to wait brother."

"And why is that?" Ornn asked, feeling Zoe take hold of his hand; he instinctively tugged his arm away.

"I'm afraid my duty as a guardian over the Frejlord must take priority in this moment." She paused for a bit before continuing. "Get on my back, the two of you."

"Why?" Zoe and Ornn asked in unison, causing Zoe to smirk a little.

Anivia unfolded her wings, encouraging the two to climb up and take hold on her back. "Because an old friend wishes to speak with me." A talk which most likely involved what happened a little bit ago she was afraid.

* * *

"You incompetent-"

"What?" Aurelion Sol asked, cutting off Pantheon and daring him to finish that insult. They both stared daggers into each other in this moment. Indeed, Aurelion Sol didn't like the Aspect of War now, and he definitely didn't like him then, when he had vanquished his last vessel through use of one of his stars; oh it had felt good.

Suddenly, Sol felt it. In the distance, he saw a distant light in the sky vanish in a flash of light. _Another on of my stars._ It felt tragic to him, watching as his creations were taken from him because of these ambitious and manipulative animals. The day he freed himself from these chains, was the day that he would wipe every single face from this planet, and the planet itself too, from existence.

"Does it feel good dragon? Disgracing the Order and witnessing your punishment for it?"

Aurelion Sol was bored with this confrontation, only wondering when it was going to be done so he could move on. "Maybe if you hadn't ordered it done by sundown, the outcome would have been determined differently. I don't understand why you must treat this predicament like a race against the clock."

But Pantheon knew exactly why he needed to do so. Did he know that the Order had gone against tradition by not removing that girl from existence initially? Yes. But what he was doing still went against the Order's laws, and the longer he took to achieve his goal, the more likely they were to find out before he could finish it. He began to think about how to move forward. The thing is, Pantheon intended on ordering him to eliminate the girl by sundown, since it shouldn't have taken longer than that. He was a cosmic dragon for crying out loud! The fact that he failed said something went wrong; either meaning that girl somehow obtained new powers or... she had company.

"I see." Pantheon said.

"What?" Sol asked, genuinely confused, even starting to look around for something out of the ordinary.

"Do not concern yourself dragon, I merely had a moment of insight. You can be on your way now." Aurelion Sol _really_ hated Pantheon. Even so, relieved he could finally be out of this guy's face, he vanished into the air, his presence no longer being sensed nearby by Pantheon.

"So... she's got help." Pantheon said, a smile forming inside of his helmet. "Well, I guess I'll have to procure some of my own as well."


End file.
